Amazon iPhone app now includes a barcode scanner

Amazon has released an updated version of its iPhone app which lets you search for items by scanning their barcodes with your phone’s camera. That means you can walk through a store, pick up an item, scan the barcode and find out if it’s cheaper to order it from Amazon, or read customer reviews all in a matter of seconds.

The Google Android version of Amazon’s mobile app has had this feature for a while, so I was actually a bit surprised to discover this morning that it’s a new feature for iPhone users. But it’s definitely a welcome addition.

Unfortunately, Amazon appears to have forgotten that the new iPod touch also has a camera. The Scan a barcode option doesn’t show up on the iPod touch. Hopefully a future update will remedy this problem — although to be fair, product barcode scanners are a lot more useful on the iPhone which has 3G data capabilities allowing you to get online and check prices almost anywhere — not just in locations where there’s a WiFi hotspot handy.